This Instant Pot Tomato Risotto shows the best way to make risotto – any risotto – in the Instant Pot. The tomatoes are roasted with a little balsamic vinegar for extra flavor.
Instant Pot risotto means no more hovering over the stove, gradually stirring in hot broth. Just stir once at the end. Sooo easy!
Jump to Recipe
Have you purchased an electric pressure cooker only to have it still in the box, because you don’t have a clue what to do with it? Well, you have a lot of company.
I admit that I did unpack mine. But then I slid it onto a shelf in the pantry, where it sat for a very long time. Eventually, I started cooking my beans in it. Then, when I contracted to write a cookbook, my editor blithely announced that I would include a chapter for the Instant Pot. (ACK!!) So, I dragged it out and got to work. Two years and many recipes later, my favorite no-fail recipe is still my Instant Pot Risotto.
Why Instant Pot Risotto?
Electric Pressure Cookers provide moist environments for cooking food. And this is the perfect environment for risotto. Seriously, you’ll swear that someone’s nonna slaved all day to make it.
Traditional risotto recipes have you ladling in hot broth over time. This translates into a needy dish that requires near constant hand-holding. Instant Pot risotto eliminates all that co-dependent nonsense, freeing you up to do something else while it cooks.
Instant Pot Tomato Risotto Tips
Risotto has a reputation for being tricky, and people often ask, “What are some tips for making great risotto?”. Instant Pot risotto is much easier, but there are still some tips that can make a difference to the final dish you serve.
Ingredient Tips
1 – There aren’t a lot of ingredients to this risotto, so each ingredient needs to shine. For example, bring out the very best flavor in the onion by finely dicing it. And be sure to toast the rice a couple of minutes before adding the liquid.
2 – Use Arborio rice, a short-grain Italian rice originating in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It contains a starch that promotes that creamy texture we all associate with risotto.
Pro Tip: If you prefer unrefined rice, Arborio is also available as a brown rice. However, the starch content is lower than that in the refined white version, and won’t be as creamy.
3 – Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio are my white wines of choice for this dish. Their light flavor means it won’t dominate the dish in any way. And their crispness provides great contrast to the creamy rice.
4 – If you’re not yet familiar with Better Than Bouillon, here’s your chance to give it a try. I use it in any recipe calling for vegetable broth, or whenever I feel a dish needs a little oomph.
Pro Tip: If you use bouillon paste for a recipe calling for vegetable broth, know that bouillon paste is saltier than regular vegetable broth, and your dish may not require any additional salt.
Technique Tips
1 – Cook the vegetables separately, or ahead of time, and stir them in at the end. I use my Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes recipe for this tomato risotto, and often have them on hand for other dishes as well.
2 – Grate your own cheese. It makes a difference! Pre-grated Parmesan cheese typically uses cellulose as an anti-caking ingredient, which mutes the flavor of the cheese.
Pro Tip: If you’re a strict vegetarian, it’s likely that pre-grated Parmesan cheese uses animal rennet instead of a vegetable rennet.
Want more vegetarian and vegan dish ideas? I can help you. I have three newsletters for different topics: 1) Weekly Recipes, 2) Vegetarian Meal Plans, and 3) Monthly Vegetarian Tips for helping you to move to a more vegetarian diet. Choose which newsletters are most relevant to your lifestyle and you’ll also get my 5 SECRETS TO FUSS-FREE VEGETARIAN DINNERS.
What Variations of Instant Pot Tomato Risotto Work Best?
This Instant Pot risotto, right up until you stir in the charred tomatoes, basil and cheese, is the perfect foundation for any risotto. Make it your own! The possibilities are almost endless.
Make it with mushrooms.
Sauté mushrooms with the onions on the stove until caramelized, and stir them in at the end.
Add spinach.
Stir in baby spinach leaves at the end in place of basil. The charred tomatoes can be optional.
Kick it up with seasonal veggies in place of tomatoes.
Roast seasonal veggies to stir in at the end – asparagus in spring, butternut squash (and fresh sage!!) in autumn.
Simplify with garlic and herbs only.
Mince and stir in the herbs at the end. If you want to magnify the garlic flavor, roast a head of garlic in the oven, coated with oil and wrapped in foil. Squeeze out the amount of cloves you want, and slightly mash in the inner pot with the toasted rice before adding the broth.
What Other Cooking Methods Are Used to Make Risotto?
Using my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker is only the most recent method I’ve used for making risotto. If you don’t have an electric pressure cooker, here are the other great ways to make risotto.
1 – Traditional Stove-Top Risotto Method
Butternut Squash Risotto with Pears and Sage
2 – Slow Cooker Risotto
3 – Baked Risotto
Baked Artichoke Risotto with Radicchio and Lemon – Caper Breadcrumbs
4 – Cauliflower Risotto
Curried Cauliflower Risotto with Pickled Apples
Uses For Leftover Risotto
Reheat with a little extra water to achieve the creaminess you want.
Make risotto cakes! This is the recipe I use on the Food Network, sometimes without the corn.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my storefront on Amazon.
Easiest Instant Pot Tomato Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio (risotto) rice
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Better Than Bouillon bouillon paste, see notes
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, optional
- 3 Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes, or 6 halves
- 1/4 cup julienned basil leaves
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, find one using vegetable rennet
Instructions
- Select the SAUTE function on your electric pressure cooker, with medium heat. Melt the butter in the inner cooking pot, and stir in the onion. Sauté for 3 minutes, until slightly softened.
- Add the rice to the pot, and stir with a wooden spoon to coat. If you have a risotto spoon, go dig it out! Sauté for 3 – 5 minutes to lightly toast the rice.
- Pour in the wine and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes, until the wine is absorbed into the rice.
- Add the water and bouillon paste, or vegetable broth, if using, and salt. If using vegetable broth instead of bouillon paste, add an addition 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Turn the electric pressure cooker off, and lock the lid into place. Select MANUAL and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 6 minutes. Allow for a natural release of 5 minutes, and then perform a quick release. Remove the lid.
- The risotto will have a layer of liquid on top, which will quickly absorb.
- Stir in the Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes, basil and cheese. Serve immediately.
Liz says
I’d never thought of making risotto in an IP, but this is genius!!! And the balsamic roasted tomatoes are a fabulous addition!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much Liz! It was soooo good, and we made risotto cakes with the leftovers!
Karen says
I have never tackled risotto because I’ve heard it’s so hands on! This recipe has changed my mind!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
This is the only way to make risotto IMHO – it’s so easy, hands off, and consistent every time I made it now.
Jane says
What a winner of a dish Susan! Beautiful, healthy, and totally mouthwatering, this should be made by everyone as soon as possible!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
It has been my go-to dish for the past couple of weeks! I don’t think I’ll ever make risotto any other way now 🙂
Ansh says
That is beautifully cooked risotto! So much better and easier in the instant pot.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
So much easier! And nothing is sacrificed in flavor or texture.
Barbara Kiebel says
You sold me and I will do a substitute for sure. We won’t get any tomatoes worth roasting here for months but I have a huge jar of sun-dried tomatoes and a container of mushrooms so I’ll try those with some basil…can’t wait!
For all of the recipes that people make in this great appliance (which sat in my cupboard for too long too), it is the simpler dishes I love the most.
My only problem? I want it NOW!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
This was made with boring winter tomatoes – so no need to wait. When you roast them with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, you’ll think the tomatoes were harvested in Auguest!
Coleen @ The Redhead Baker says
Oh, I *love* risotto. I didn’t know you could make it in an Instant Pot!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Me too! And it’s the BEST way to make it!
Laura Kumin says
I love risotto but hesitate to make it because of the time commitment (plus it usually requires standing over the stove – not my preferred place to be as the weather heats up.) This version has so much going for it – not to mention how simple and quick it is. Can’t wait to pull out my Instant Pot and try it.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I don’t think I’ll ever make it any other way. And honestly, I make it as much for the risotto the first night as I do for risotto cakes with the leftovers…
widalVot says
Serve with extra basil and cheese. Risotto really is best eaten as soon as it has finished cooking. The beauty of the Instant Pot is that it has a delay start function which means you can throw everything in, set it to delay start and it will only cook when you are ready for it to.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
I totally agree it’s best eaten right away, and had never considered the delay start function!! I’m going to do this on my next batch!